Choosing Policy Instruments to Reduce Hunger and Poverty: Is It Possible to Overcome the Feasibility Dilemma?

S o far in this first decade of the 21st century, more than 1 billion people are subsisting on less than a dollar a day, 1 and more than 800 million people are suffering from hunger. Many countries, most notably in Asia, have had spectacular success in reducing their overall rates of poverty and hunger, but these countries still have regions where poverty remains widespread. And despite its high rates of poverty reduction, South Asia still has the greatest prevalence of underweight children in the world. In Africa, the number of poor people increased during the past two decades as poverty reduction failed to keep pace with population growth. Poverty and hunger persist throughout the world, even though their eradica-tion has held prominence on the international agenda for more than half a century. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations was one of the first global institutions created at the end of World War II because the international community recognized the need to ensure adequate food for all as a precondition for security and peace. Political declarations have continued voicing the goal of reducing poverty and hunger, most notably in the Millennium Development Declaration adopted by more than 190 nations in 2000. Given the billions of dollars invested and the commitment of the international community, why has overall progress in eradicating poverty and hunger been inadequate? Policy instruments that could be useful in reducing poverty and hunger are not in short supply. They include public investments aimed at promoting pro-poor